Online Marketing Goals and Objectives
What you want to accomplish online is often similar or identical to your offline business strategy. Some typical goals and objectives include:
1. Retain and service existing customers
2. Generate new customers
3. Generate leads
4. Improve revenues and profits
A. Retain Existing Customers
Never forget or neglect your existing customers.
They are the life-blood of many businesses. A Web presence can often help you service the needs of those customers.
Customers will often use the Web site to obtain information about your product or service. Other times they will
e-mail you for support or with questions.
Compile an address list of customers’ e-mails so you can send them special offers or thank-you cards for repeat business. But be sure you ask if they want to receive future communications from you!
B. Finding New Customers on the Internet
The more information you have on your Web site, the more likely it is that a potential customer will find your site through a search engine. Make sure your site is built in a "search-engine-friendly” way, meaning that search engines can find your site and appropriately catalog it in their large databases.
Make sure that the pages of your site have a call to action.
A call to action is often a benefit statement that will give your prospects or customers an incentive or gentle push to contact you or move forward towards a sale.
Call-to-action messages do not need to be purely online actions. Depending on your business, some of the following call-to-action messages might be appropriate:
- Phone us (regular or toll free).
- Fill out a request-for-information form.
- Send us an e-mail.
- Visit our store location.
- Add an item to a shopping cart to buy.
- Register for a newsletter or specials.
- Enter a sweepstakes or contest (be sure to follow appropriate regulations).
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Be sure to include your privacy policy on the Web site. Check out the Australian Trade commision or the Better Business Bureau for examples.
C. Improve Revenues and Profits
Your Web site is only one element of your overall marketing plan, but is one of the most measurable.
Site activity often translates into new customers or revenue and profits, which (if you sell online) can be tracked directly.
Other reportable numbers can be linked to improved sales, so some small businesses set specific goals for their Web site, such as:
- Leads per month.
- Telephone calls per day (that say they came from your site).
- Visitors to the site each month.
- E-mail messages a week asking about services.
- Visits per month to your FAQ or Support area (reducing support staffing needs).
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